Someone to Love (25 page)

Cruise lets the water spray over us as he
warms me with his resolute kisses.

“Jeez.” He pulls back and reduces the heat.
“Is that okay?” He smolders over me with a look of wondrous lust
and my insides squeeze tight.

“Better.” I dot his wet cheek with a
kiss.

Cruise rides his hand toward my thigh and
slips a finger deep inside me.

I close my eyes and bury a groan in his neck.
It burns to have him there but in a good way.

He repositions the nozzle, so the shower
sprays against the tile.

Cruise presses me against the wall and the
warm waterfall cascades over my shoulders—his mouth never leaving
mine. He hoists me high over his hips and takes me just like that,
pressing in achingly slow, so amazingly deep. He secures his chest
to mine, digging his fingers into my thighs. Cruise glides in and
out at a pressured pace, and soon the ravaging effects of last
night’s love making disappear, leaving the incredible feeling of
his body throbbing inside mine. He pushes in hard, sliding his
thumb over that delicate area where his mouth made me wild last
night and I jump. He rubs ever so gently until I’m clawing at his
back—the breath pumping from my lungs—and the entire universe
inside me explodes into a million beautiful pieces.

“God, Kenny.” He pants as his body quakes
over mine.

I press in and feel him tremble through me as
if I had just electrocuted him in the most erotic way.

My lips flutter over his ear like the
trembling wings of a butterfly.

Cruise drops a mouthwatering kiss over my
lips and gently bites down on my tongue before releasing. “Let’s
get moving so you can get to class.”

“I’m not going,” I pant, giving an impish
grin. “I’m far more interested in the things you’re going to teach
me today, right here at home.”

“What do you mean you’re not going?” He ticks
his head back bewildered, as if I just declared I wasn’t wearing
clothes in public anymore—although, he probably wouldn’t mind that
one, too much. And, really? I don’t get why he minds my private
ditch day, either.

“I mean”—I pause to swipe my lips over
his—“I’ve got some research to do for my gender relations class,
like what makes an innocent girl like me vulnerable to a bad boy
like you.” I run my tongue along his jaw and he groans, pushing
himself deep inside me. I let out a cry in response to the
lightning that shoots through my body.

“Whoa.” He pulls out carefully and lifts my
chin with his finger. “You’re not okay, are you?”

“So, maybe I’m not going to class because I
can’t walk.” I bite down hard on my lip with the admission.

“Well, then”—he presses out a dirty grin and
turns off the water—“I guess you’ll just have to be catered to all
day long.”

He flicks the towel off the rung until it
topples over my stomach.

Cruise carries me straight back to bed and
licks my wounds quite literally.

The next morning, Cruise asks if I’d drive to
school with him even though he has a faculty meeting an hour before
class. Of course, I say yes. I would rearrange my entire schedule
to spend just a few extra minutes with him each day.

I make my way to the student café where I’ve
made arrangements to meet up with Lauren and Ally.

They wave me over in the back, and I make a
beeline to them without bothering to pick up some much needed
caffeine. Needless to say, I haven’t done a whole lot of sleeping
since Cruise decided to gift me with the best birthday present on
the planet—himself.

“Morning ladies,” I say out of breath as I
settle in amongst them. I rattle out a quick confession of the
fornicating festivities that have ensued since the most memorable
night of my life and the mindboggling pain that glommed onto my
privates thereafter like, well, hellfire. “I considered faking a
twisted ankle just so I could use those crutches he keeps in his
hall closet.
Crutches!
” I hiss it out in a heated
whisper.

Lauren and Ally explode in a fit of
hysterics, and, swear to God, I think Ally just wiped a tear from
her eye.

“What’s so funny?” I ask. “It’s not normal,
is it? Knew it. Worse yet, what if I’ve got that viral form of the
clap Aunt Jackie hexed him with at Christmas? What if the female
version was launching an inferno in the ‘field of dreams?’”

Ally screams through her laughter.

“You’re funny.” Lauren says it dry before
gulping down the remainder of her coffee. “That happens to
everyone.”

“Crutches?” Ally chokes it out as they
continue their decent into maddening titters on my behalf.

It is kind of funny when I think about
it.

I suppose I’ll never look at crutches the
same way again—or a penis. Definitely not Cruise’s extended
appendage. God—it was the size of a golf club.

“So, was he huge?” Ally’s eyes augment in
size as if to ask the question for her.

“I don’t really know.” The urge to gossip
about Cruise’s unusual size and stature has suddenly left the
building. He’s my boyfriend for Pete’s sake. Boyfriend…

I give a dreamy smile.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Lauren
dips into me, confused. “Didn’t you see it?”

“Yes, I saw it. And so did everyone in my art
class.” I spill the little tidbit about our foray into
exhibitionism. “He’s sort of, you know…like an arm.” There’s
that.

“Get the
hell
out.” Ally shouts it so
loud people actually snap their necks in our direction as if she
just told me off. She’s not telling me off, is she?

“No, it’s more normal than that. Oh, I don’t
know.” I try to shake it off and change the subject. A familiar
blonde saunters past the window and grabs a hold of the door as if
she’s about to step inside. “It’s Blair from my art class.” I wave,
but she glosses over us and sits by herself a few tables away.

Lauren and Ally exchange looks, and the table
grows increasingly quiet.

“Everything okay?” I ask because I so know
its not. I can totally read silence like a book.

“Everything’s great.” Lauren lifts her
coffee, prompting Ally to do the same.

“To conquering Cruise,” Lauren says it so
loud her voice practically echoes off the walls.

My face burns with heat at the proclamation,
and suddenly I’m thankful he’s not in the vicinity.

“To love,” I counter.

Blair shoots me a look and darts out the
door.

“
Awe
, to love,” Lauren and Ally coo in
unison before they drink to this beautiful oblivion that’s
enveloped my existence.

The truth is, Cruise conquered my soul, and
now every part of me feels free in every way.

Free to love.

Free to drown in the bliss that is Cruise
Elton.

Cruise

Class begins, and my favorite student is ten
minutes late. I’m half tempted to tell everyone to bury their heads
in a book, so I can go out and track her down. She probably fell in
the snow trying to cool the sting. I feel like shit knowing I
physically hurt her and, to top it off, repeated the offense of
multiple occasions yesterday—once again this morning.

A familiar dark-haired beauty walks through
the door and I breathe a sigh of relief. She offers a shy smile as
she takes a seat up front.

“Almost forgot.” I snatch the stack of papers
off my desk. “Revised syllabus.” I slip the special one I made for
Kenny under the pile until I make my way over to her. Our fingers
touch and an electrical charge moves from her to me.

Kenny has trimmed the days in silver—the
nights in gold. This is too rich, too sweet—far too wonderful to
fully comprehend.

I give a little wink as I move down the
row.

The only thing I managed to revise on the
actual syllabus was switching the dates on the first two essays.
Not that I’ll ding anyone if they get confused.

I sit back on the lip of my desk and watch as
Kenny’s mouth falls open from the laundry list of sexual geography
I’ve mapped out for the two us—the most ambitious project being the
tower. Not that it hasn’t been done before, but without Kenny and
me, it has yet to be done right.

She runs her tongue over the curve of her lip
and tilts her head into me.

“Erotic love,” I say it out loud, never
taking my eyes off Kenny. I could care less if the entire student
body becomes aware of the special brand of affection I’m unleashing
on her. Kenny is quickly becoming my star pupil in and out of the
classroom. Something is galvanizing. Something strong is boiling
between the two of us, and the whole world should bear witness to
the spectacular event. She’s hypnotized me, and now I’m drunk off
the wine of her love. “Any thoughts?” I open the concept up to the
entire class, but it’s Kenny’s musings I’m most interested in.

“Eros,” Kenny rasps it out like an erotic
whisper, and half the guys in class fix themselves on her person.
I’m pretty damn sure she just gave every male in a ten seat radius
a boner.

“Eros,” I repeat. “The Greek God of erotic
love. It’s also the term used to describe the impulses of man to
satisfy basic, intrinsic needs that propagate the survival of the
species.”

“Or just plain sexual yearning.” She says it
slow with a slight drawl that captivates me—makes me want to give
her the entire Bible to read while I lay at her feet listening to
her speak this way.

Cheryl raises her annoying little hand.

“Yes?” I take my gaze from Kenny, slow, like
pulling lead weights.

“Conceptually, it can also be classified as a
basic source of energy. A passion, a juice—a hunger for living.”
She smirks, satisfied by her textbook analogy.

“Juice and hunger.” I drip the words from my
mouth. That pretty damn well describes what I’m feeling for Kenny
right about now. My boxers shift at the sight of her, and I’m quick
to walk around the desk to take a seat.

“Today’s journal topic is
Eros
love,
thanks to Ms. Jordan.” I glance up at the room as they get busy
with the assignment. I’m pretty sure the entire class will be in
response to Ms. Jordan in one way or another.

The students drain from class as if there
were free beer available in the hall, but not Kenny. She walks up
with smooth, easy strides. She cups her hand boldly over my crotch
and melts a kiss over my lips, heated like a tropical sunset.

“You don’t know the war you’re starting,” I
murmur.

“War? Is that what that little sheet of paper
you dropped on my desk was about? A strategy guide?”

“Did you like it?” I wrap my arms around her
waist and pull her in so tight our hips are immovable.

“I don’t know what to think. Let’s see…” She
rolls her head back, and I run a line of fire up her neck with my
tongue. “Candles and a bath, that was a great one.” She says it
low, and my body responds to hers. “That may require months of
practice before we get it right.”

“Months.” I confirm, dusting her lips with
mine.

“Role playing—police and thief?” She tilts
her head to the side. “Let me guess, you’d like me to arrest
you?”

“No.” I shake my head as a wicked grin
twitches to life. “You’re the thief. I’m the cop.” I bite down
gently over her lip. “A very bad,
corrupt
, tainted—unethical
officer of the law.”

“Why am I the thief?” Her eyes sparkle when
she says it like maybe she knows.

“Because you stole something from me.” I run
my hands up the back of her sweater and she groans.

“And that would be?”

“You stole my heart, Kenny.”

“Cruise…” She says it sweetly as her skin
flushes with color. “You just melted me.” She reaches down and
unbuttons my jeans. “I’m going to have to reward you.”

“What’s this? Bribing law enforcement with
sexual favors?” I knew she’d make a damn good criminal.